The founder of the BSW party, Sahra Wagenknecht, criticized the extremism of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Saxony-Anhalt and accused them of sabotaging future cooperation negotiations. These remarks came after AfD's significant victory in the regional elections on September 6, where they garnered nearly 44 percent of the votes and faced only a slight shortfall from an absolute majority.
Challenges Facing AfD
However, AfD's path to government has been fraught with challenges. All major parties have refrained from entering into cooperation negotiations with this party due to the so-called "firewall" policy against extremism. The only exception is the BSW party, which unexpectedly surpassed the 5 percent hurdle and accepted AfD's invitation to talks.
BSW's Position on Cooperation
Although the BSW party has rejected forming a coalition with AfD, it has stated that it is willing to support a minority AfD government and cooperate on issues where they align. These topics include energy supply, education, and "peace policy." Wagenknecht emphasized on Wednesday that the party is seeking cooperation but raised criticisms regarding AfD's conduct in negotiations.
Sahra Wagenknecht said: "Some AfD members seem to be afraid of proving themselves on fundamental issues without a protective wall. For example: Do they want to promote peace or support the arms industry?" These remarks refer to statements made by Ulrich Sigmund, the main candidate for AfD, who recently established a link between expulsion plans and access to military equipment.
Wagenknecht also referenced Sigmund's comments about planning to establish a weapons manufacturing plant in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where he stated: "We do not consider the production of military equipment to be inherently evil, as we will certainly need the necessary resources for our plans regarding repatriation and expulsion."
The BSW party, which separated from the Left Party in 2024 and has emerged as an independent party, is strongly opposed to military aid to Ukraine and also opposes Germany's new armament plans to counter increasing threats from Russia.
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